Mark Hamill Talks ‘The Force Awakens,’ Becoming Luke Skywalker Again

In one more year, audiences all over the world will be able to return to that galaxy far, far away that so many would love to see again. While we were there as recently as 2005, the Star Wars galaxy we saw in Revenge of the Sith laid the groundwork for the original three films. In just one more year, we’ll be able to continue the story with the group of characters we first fell in love with so long ago.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! Movies, Mark Hamill sat down and briefly talked about his return to the iconic role of Luke Skywalker. Of course when we first met Luke in the original Star Wars film, he was a callow youth just waiting to begin the hero’s journey that would take him to the ultimate salvation for his father, and the vanquishing of the Emperor and the Sith as we knew it. As far as The Force Awakens is concerned, at this point most people know absolutely nothing about what Luke has been up to between Episodes VI and VII, nor do we know about the state he will be in when we find him.

Nevertheless, Hamill seemed to be excited and in good spirits about his return to the Star Wars universe as the character that made him famous, and seemed most enthused by how positively people are reacting to the recently released teaser trailer for the film. On the subject of the trailer, he said,

…the great thrill for me was watching the video of fans watching the trailer. Did you see that? Oh my god! I forget how happy this stuff makes a certain segment of our population. I mean, I really was moved to see these people that happy. It was wonderful. So for me, that was the most memorable thing about it — the reaction more than just the minute-and-a-half that it’s on the screen.

On the subject of his very Ben Kenobi-ish appearance, he said,

That is what I call my contractually obligated beard. Listen: I think they look fine on other people. It’s just not me. I mean, I never got used to it. But face foliage is almost a part of the costume. And it does bring a gravitas, perhaps unearned, but nevertheless, it makes a statement that they wanted to make, and I’m more than happy to oblige them.

…when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight. And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun.

Hamill, who is likely one of the most prominent geeks in Hollywood, seems genuinely excited about his return to the universe that so many people love so much. For the full interview, be sure to head to Yahoo! Movies. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18th, 2015. For more on this highly anticipated film as it develops, keep an eye on GeekNation.